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A review by soniapng
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
3.5
docking a half star because i could not get over a 37 YEAR OLD MAN marrying a 19 YEAR OLD (who he met when she was 17!!) and everyone was treating that like it's normal. like i know times change but truly I could not get over that one, was rooting against him for the whole novel.
otherwise Jane Austen is a great writer and very witty. the book is good on its own merits as a romance novel, but also interesting for its strong sense of place & ability to provide a window into life in the time period/setting. love how they're like "ohh we're so poor now, the only solution is to marry rich" and their idea of poor is living in a cottage with like three servants.
wonderful to see the development of Austen's style as I believe this was her first book. having only read P&P otherwise I can definitely see the development of ideas and themes that show up there as well, and I'll be interested in seeing how that fares when I finish the rest of my Austen reading list. the societal critiques are more heavy-handed than I recall from P&P but it's been a long time so I may be misremembering - but still a pleasure to read and surprisingly relatable to the modern era despite how much else has changed.
otherwise Jane Austen is a great writer and very witty. the book is good on its own merits as a romance novel, but also interesting for its strong sense of place & ability to provide a window into life in the time period/setting. love how they're like "ohh we're so poor now, the only solution is to marry rich" and their idea of poor is living in a cottage with like three servants.
wonderful to see the development of Austen's style as I believe this was her first book. having only read P&P otherwise I can definitely see the development of ideas and themes that show up there as well, and I'll be interested in seeing how that fares when I finish the rest of my Austen reading list. the societal critiques are more heavy-handed than I recall from P&P but it's been a long time so I may be misremembering - but still a pleasure to read and surprisingly relatable to the modern era despite how much else has changed.